Cinematography Course: The Fundamentals

Cinematography Fundamentals is a self-guided, 3-month course that lets you pursue your passion for filmmaking at your own pace.

Type: Asynchronous

Tuition: $795

Duration: 12 Weeks

Enrollment: Monthly

Upcoming Sessions: April 1, 2025 - June 30, 2025 (Enroll by March 31)

 
 

Key Components at a Glance

  • Two self-prep exercises

  • 19 video lecture

  • Final project (show reel)

  • Written feedback from an NYU Instructor

    • Please note: This program does not include any live class time or meetings with NYU faculty.

 

  • Cover all the bases

    This course covers everything you need to know, including: composition; storyboarding; pre-production; lighting; camera movement; and audio/video editing.

  • Enjoy great content on a flexible timeline

    Our video tutorials are best-in-class: crisp, engaging, and concise. And, since this is an entirely asynchronous course, you can take them whenever and wherever it suits you.

  • Get expert feedback from an NYU instructor

    Your final project will be reviewed in writing by one of NYU’s distinguished faculty, all of whom have extensive experience in the industry.

  • Receive a digital badge to mark your achievement
    Upon successfull completion of any Tisch Pro/Online course you will receive a digital badge which can be linked to your resume, portfolio, or social media accounts.

Self-Paced Learning

Chart your own course toward a filmmaking career, working through our video lessons and exercises at a speed that suits you.

Expert Feedback

Your final project will be reviewed in writing by a NYU faculty member. (Please note: Your project must be completed within the three-month window in which you are enrolled in order to receive feedback.)

Flexible Enrollment

A rolling schedule lets you sign up at any time to begin learning on the first day of the following month.

 

What You’ll Learn

Over the course of 3 months, and at your pace, you'll gain the knowledge to kickstart your next project....or even your filmmaking career.

 
 

1. Composition


To tell a visual story, you’ll need to construct images in three dimensions so they deliver the information and the impact you want them to. You've got a rectangle, and a near-infinite corridor of space within it -- these are not limitations, but opportunities.

2. Storyboarding & Pre-Production

Minute by minute, filmmaking can be expensive. This makes pre-production tools like storyboards -- planning out your shots visually on paper -- efficient and indispensable.

3. Lighting

Movies are fundamentally recordings of light and shadow, and from the art form's very beginning it's been this basic allure that's drawn us to the screen. You’ll learn how light and shadow have been used by artists over the long history of movies.

4. Camera Movement

The capacity for movement is where movies completely have it over every other art form, whether by way of pans, tilts, zooms, tracking shots, handheld explorations, or combinations thereof. The visceral excitement of a movie when it truly moves is a unique and special cultural experience. You’ll take a look at over a century's worth of how, and why, filmmakers have made it happen.

5. Audio & Video Editing

Editing the sight and sound of a film project requires planning and attention to fine details. You’ll learn the fundamentals of configuring a project, creating a sequence, adjusting audio levels, finessing edit points, applying basic post effects and color correction, and exporting video in a web-ready format.

Ready to get started?

 

Your filmmaking journey starts here.

Tuition: $795
Duration: 3 months
Next course: April 1, 2025 - June 30, 2025 (Enroll by March 31)

The course is entirely self-paced but their final project must be completed within the three-month window in order to receive NYU instructor feedback.

Learn more about the enrollment process.